The island was eerily quiet, even at the distance the ship sat from it. A few of the inhabitants stared at the ship from the platforms that supported the buildings of the community, but they made no move to greet the visitors. Eventually, a gate opened beneath one of the lower levels, and a child in a small boat oared his way across the water.

Ignoring the unsettled feeling in his stomach, Coen hurried below decks to the room Reezy had confined himself to. He strode quickly to the cot where the priest was laying and shook his shoulder. "Get up. We're here."

Reezy moaned softly and shakily got to his feet. Alakyl was by his side in an instant, her legs stiff, ears pinned forward.

She can feel it too. Something's not right. The people of Rogue look fine from here, and they can still obviously leave, but they haven't. There was a nagging in the back of Coen's mind that they were walking right into a trap, that the boy in the boat had been allowed to leave so that they could be brought back there. He pushed those thoughts aside, determined. I will find out what's happened here.

Alakyl was the first down to the boat. She didn't make a sound as a rope was tied around her chest, allowing her to be lowered to the waiting boy. Reezy, and then Coen, climbed down a rope ladder to meet her. The ladder was pulled back up; the boy set his oar against the side of the ship and pushed away.

"You shouldn't have come," the child said once they were out of hearing range of the ship. His voice had a distant, ghost-like quality.

"We have important business here," Coen replied. "Where's Master Haschel?"

The boy's face grew pale, even despite his tanned skin.

"I'm a knight of Serdio, sent here by King Albert. Answer me." Coen saw little reason to hide their purpose now.

"He...went off into the woods..."

"How long ago?"

"Four months. He never came back."

"Why did he leave?"

"To fight the monsters."

"What monsters?"

Again the boy refused to answer. Coen and Reezy had to duck as they passed under the gate into the village. It closed silently behind them.

I guess this is it. "We have to see Haschel. How far away is the forest?"

"J-just outside the city. To the south."

"Thank you." As the boat slowed to a stop next to a dock, Coen was the first out. He didn't even check to make sure Reezy and Alakyl followed, only immediately started up the nearby ladder. We have to get to the forest today. Before the sun goes down. I'm not so sure I want to be dealing with these 'monsters' in the dark.

As he reached the top of a series of ladders, he found himself facing an old man. Though he was dressed simply, like everyone in Rogue, he had a certain aura of importance about him. "So," he said simply. "You say you're from Serdio?"

"News travels quickly around here," Coen mused, truly surprised. Then again, I guess the boy would know a faster way up than the way we just came. He stepped aside to make room for Reezy and Alakyl. The wolf had no problem going up ladders, it was coming down them that could be difficult.

"I assume you're here for whatever it was Master Haschel was being so secretive about."

"Yes. King Albert sent us to find out why it never reached him."

"I'll tell you why. We were attacked."

"Attacked? By who?" Coen looked around the village. The buildings and platform structures appeared completely unharmed. Whoever had attacked had either been met in battle outside the village, or was just very clean about the way they did things.

"We were hoping you could tell us."

That's definitely something you don't hear every day. "What do you know about them?"

"They're unlike anything we've ever seen before. Like animals, but intelligent like humans. They came from the forest. Ho they got here, we don't know."

Coen glanced at Reezy and Alakyl. Sounds almost like Northlanders. I don't know of any other kind of animal that's as intelligent as humans. Not even dragons.

"We never see them any more. But we know they're waiting in the forest. Whenever someone tries to leave, they come in the form of smoke and kill. And then disappear again. The people are too frightened to do anything any more."

"I understand."

Alakyl growled softly, he fur ruffled out.

"I agree," Reezy said softly. Turning to Coen, he added, "I think I know who, or at least what, has done this. If I'm correct, there is no chance we'll be getting that object back for King Albert."

Coen clenched his jaw, trying to ignore him. Intelligent animals that could best Haschel and the other dragoon who's here, can remain unseen and yet emerge to kill anyone who tries to leave. Nice. "We'll figure this out," he said to the old man. "We're going to have a look around the forest before the sun goes down. Make sure nobody tries to tag along."

"Don't worry, nobody will."

-----

The forest was easy enough to find, just as the boy on the boat had said. From the outside, it appeared calm and still, like any forest on a warm afternoon. Yet within it was something mysterious and dangerous. Something that would probably love to take the life of any who ventured near.

Coen ran his hand over his sword's pommel, and stepped into the dimmed light of the forest.

-----

Dun dun duuuuuunn. Cliffhanger, ahoy!